Did you know that the #1 medical condition that results in permanent disability is back problems? And did you know that more money is spent on the treatment of this same condition than any other; more than on heart disease, more than on cancer, more than on diabetes? And did you know that in addition to causing pain that back problems can also lead to other health conditions and disease? What this means is that the spine is really important and really fragile and you had better take really good care of it. And if the above reasons are not enough for you to want to take care of your spine, here’s one more. All chronic joint problems, which include the spine, are essentially cartilage problems. Cartilage is what your discs are made of and what lines all the joints in your body. And the problem is that your cartilage is wearing out faster than your body can replace or fix it. And this is because adult humans just don’t make cartilage any more, not at all like when we were children. So, we can’t fix what we lose. That begs two questions. First, how do we lose it in the first place? Second, what can we do about it? Well, to answer the first question we will look into the threesome of time, life, and gravity.
I am asked every day some variation of this, “How did my spine get this way? I don’t remember ever hurting it.” Most subluxation (spinal injuries that have healed wrong) are the result of years and years of daily activities while living and playing and working in a gravitational field, namely Earth. During birth most of us were pulled forcibly from the birth canal. We all fell thousands of times learning to walk, run, ride, climb, skate, ski, board, etc. We endured football, soccer, and older brothers. Most of us had been in a car crash or two. And most of us have jobs that stress the spine in some way with repetitive actions that will take a toll over the years. In short, life acts over time under gravity leading to joint stress, inflammation, scar tissue, or what we call subluxation.
Therefore, based upon the above paragraph, the following question begs, what can I do to prevent subluxation? Truthfully, the answer is a resounding ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You have no control over time unless you are God. You have no control over gravity unless you have a space station. And life must be lived. Perhaps you can avoid some of the dumb stuff like jumping off the roof while on your buddies back onto a table in the yard for a YouTube video, but for the most part life will happen.
So in the end, genetics, time, life, and gravity will happen with or without your cooperation or permission. 90% of us will have to deal with back pain. Many of us will be disabled by it. Some will get sick from it. Sounds bleak. What can we do? The short answer is to manage it. Medical management is to drug it until it is bad enough to cut. There is a better way that is geared around the only 2 things you can do to limit the damage of subluxation, namely stretching and chiropractic adjustments. It’s your choice. It’s only your back at stake. The key is to start young, be consistent, and never let up.
I am asked every day some variation of this, “How did my spine get this way? I don’t remember ever hurting it.” Most subluxation (spinal injuries that have healed wrong) are the result of years and years of daily activities while living and playing and working in a gravitational field, namely Earth. During birth most of us were pulled forcibly from the birth canal. We all fell thousands of times learning to walk, run, ride, climb, skate, ski, board, etc. We endured football, soccer, and older brothers. Most of us had been in a car crash or two. And most of us have jobs that stress the spine in some way with repetitive actions that will take a toll over the years. In short, life acts over time under gravity leading to joint stress, inflammation, scar tissue, or what we call subluxation.
Therefore, based upon the above paragraph, the following question begs, what can I do to prevent subluxation? Truthfully, the answer is a resounding ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You have no control over time unless you are God. You have no control over gravity unless you have a space station. And life must be lived. Perhaps you can avoid some of the dumb stuff like jumping off the roof while on your buddies back onto a table in the yard for a YouTube video, but for the most part life will happen.
So in the end, genetics, time, life, and gravity will happen with or without your cooperation or permission. 90% of us will have to deal with back pain. Many of us will be disabled by it. Some will get sick from it. Sounds bleak. What can we do? The short answer is to manage it. Medical management is to drug it until it is bad enough to cut. There is a better way that is geared around the only 2 things you can do to limit the damage of subluxation, namely stretching and chiropractic adjustments. It’s your choice. It’s only your back at stake. The key is to start young, be consistent, and never let up.